Guaranteed Rental Return

Index of papers

Research Notes

Short papers on the rules and the arithmetic that decide whether a Washington rental works. Each one takes a single question a buyer should settle before making an offer.

Subject
Buying and owning rental property in Washington: city landlord rules, the state rent cap, licensing, taxes at sale, screening a listing
Prepared by
Austin Hellickson, Managing Broker, LPT Realty
Dated
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1. The lead note

Exhibit A. Foursquare duplex, Tacoma.

No. 1

Tacoma Landlord Rules in 2026: A Buyer’s Read

In Tacoma you need a current city business license in the owner of record’s name before you can raise rent or pursue an eviction, and since January 1, 2026 a rent increase requires 180 days’ notice on the city’s form. An increase of 5 percent or more can trigger relocation assistance if the tenant chooses to move instead of paying it. For a buyer, that means underwriting the first year at today’s rent and treating any large increase as a cost.

6 min read

Read note No. 1

2. The other notes

  1. No. 2
    The lived-in living room of an occupied duplex unit, a worn sofa, houseplants on the windowsill and a cast iron radiator under a wood-trimmed window

    Can I Raise the Rent After Buying a Rental in Washington?

    Bought a Washington rental with tenants? The leases, the rent cap, the 12-month rule and notice periods all carry over. What that means for your numbers.

    6 min read
  2. No. 3
    A modest 1960s single-story rambler with a carport on a quiet Kent street, tall Douglas firs behind the roofline under a grey sky

    The 1% Rule, Tested Against Washington Rentals

    Why the 1% rule rarely passes on Tacoma, Kent or Spokane rentals, what it leaves out, and a better first screen for a Washington rental property.

    5 min read
  3. No. 4
    An empty, freshly painted living room in a vacant 1920s house with refinished fir floors, a folded drop cloth in the corner and low afternoon light

    Washington Capital Gains Tax When You Sell a Rental

    Washington’s capital gains tax does not apply to selling real estate, rentals included. What still does: federal tax, recapture and REET at closing.

    6 min read
  4. No. 5
    The basement utility corner of an older rental house, a gas water heater with seismic straps, a closed electrical panel and a smoke alarm on the joist

    Which Washington Cities Require a Rental License?

    Washington has no statewide rental license. What Tacoma, Kent and Spokane require of landlords, and how to check the Tri-Cities or any other city before closing.

    6 min read
  5. No. 6
    Older two-story wood-frame houses with deep front porches and bicycles on the railings along a leafy street in Spokane’s Logan neighborhood in autumn

    Buying a Student Rental Near Gonzaga in Spokane

    What owning a student rental in Spokane’s Logan neighborhood involves: the school-year lease cycle, joint leases, older houses and city rules.

    6 min read

If one of these questions hangs over a property you are weighing, send me the address.

I will run the numbers with the rules for that city and that building already in them, and tell you plainly whether it holds up.

Request an analysis206.940.0942Austin.Hellickson@homexa.com

Austin HellicksonManaging Broker, LPT Realty